This invention relates to the field of amusement devices and games which utilize an item that is thrown through the air, and in particular to those which carry a second item that separates from the first during flight.
Prior art devices of this kind include those described in the following United States patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,155 discloses a disk shaped aerodynamic toy which rotates as it is thrown through the air, having a second toy member carried on a threaded shaft secured by a nut which unscrews due to the rotation of the disk thereby releasing the second toy member for descent to the ground by way of a parachute attached to the second toy member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,918 discloses a toy for throwing into the air comprising a diamond shaped base with a compartment in the center for a parachute. The toy is thrown up in th air with a spinning motion. When it reaches its apex and begins to descend, the flap doors of the compartment open by gravitational pull to release the parachute. The toy then floats back down to earth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,728 discloses an aerodynamic toy which comprises a pair of disks, one nesting within the other. When thrown through the air the disks separate, the nested disk sailing more slowly so the person to whom thrown can catch both disks, the faster one first and then he can move wherever necessary to catch the second one.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,194 discloses a toy missile for elastically propelling into the air, comprising a multi-stage toy rocket which separates in flight to release a toy glider.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,356 discloses a toy described as a parachute carrying aerial disk. The toy is thrown into the air and when it starts to descend, a relatively heavy figure to which the parachute is attached pulls away from the disk drawing the parachute out and away from the disk for descent to the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,362,894 discloses a toy comprising a bow and arrow in which the arrow has a canister carried at the tip with a doll-like figure and parachute therein. The arrow is shot into the air, a long string is connected at one end to a release mechanism in the canister while the other end is stepped on by the person who shoots the arrow. When the arrow and canister in flight reach the limit of the string, the release mechanism releases the doll-like figure and parachute for descent to the earth.
In these examples of prior art devices, release of the second carried item cannot be determined from a remote ground location after the first carrier item has been put in flight, as to just when and where the second carried item will be released. Such prior art devices are therefore limited in their use, and cannot for example be used in a game of skill to determine who can throw the first carrier item in a particular direction, and then at the exact moment release the second carried item, so it will fall on or close to a preselected target area.
The present invention is an improvement over the prior art in these respects. The carried item can be released from the carrier disk on command from a remote ground location at any point desired during flight. It can therefore be used not only by an individual himself to see how close he can come to dropping the ball on a preselected target but in a game of skill with others to see which one of the group can come closest to the target during a successive number of throws until enough points are achieved to win the game.